The Silurian detective: Perfect warrior
by AceyJacey
Summary: Mysterious aliens are on Earth in search of a technology that would perfect warfare but they aren't alone. Can Vastra, Jenny and Fred stop them before the planet is destroyed in the conflict? 2nd of The Silurian detective trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

The Silurian detective: Perfect warrior

A/N: Hello there and welcome to the second story of The Silurian detective trilogy. The prequel and first story can be found on my profile and I recommend that you read them first to fully understand this story. I'm afraid that college has been very tiring but I hope that you'll be patient with updates. Anyway, here's chapter 1

Rosita hummed gently as she carried her empty plate into the kitchen. Rinsing it under the tap, she then dried it with a towel before returning to the living room, humming the whole time. She picked up a book that she had been reading and flicked back to her previous page.

When her deceased husband, Jackson, had offered to teach her how to read, she had taken a fair bit of convincing. Having been illiterate for most of her life, she hadn't seen the point in starting to learn how. After much persuasion and many lessons, she eventually did learn even though she never did much reading while she was young but after her husband's passing, she took up the hobby.

A sharp knock shattered the silence of the house. Rosita sighed as she got out of the chair that she had just gotten comfortable in and headed to the front door. Opening the door, she glanced around in annoyance as she saw that whoever had knocked had not waited for an answer. Shutting out the cold, night air, Rosita returned to the living room certain that the knock was from one of the neighbours' children playing a joke.

However, the living room was not empty. A short figure was examining Rosita's book, its head both bald and round. It wore blue armour with silver gloves and carried a small black gun that had a green barrel. Glancing up at Rosita, the unexpected guest placed the book back on the surprised hostess' chair.

"Primitive human literature." The alien barked. "Captain Nemo has the power to conquer the entire planet but he is held back by his weak emotions for his dead family. What a pointless novel."

Rosita put her hands on her hips and glowered at the intruder. "For your information that happens to be my favourite book so would you please refrain from insulting my taste in literature while in my house? Which reminds me, why the hell are you in my house?"

"I am Commander Stert of the Infiltration Squad of Intelligence for Sontar." The potato-like alien responded proudly. "I am here to recover some information that you know."

Rosita frowned in confusion. "So you've come all the way to Earth just to ask an old lady some questions?"

"Of course not, we came here to search for some data that could change Sontaran warfare forever. A process that you saw for yourself so many years ago." Stert smiled toothily at Rosita's look of worry.

"You mean the-" She started before the intruder interrupted.

"Enough questions, female, it's time to begin the interrogation." The Commander raised his gun and fired.

xxxxx

Vastra darted around the corner as the sound of hooves on the road chased after her. Looking back, the Silurian increased her speed as the horse and its rider charged down the street towards her. The beast snorted as its master dug her sharp boots into its flesh. Vastra felt the ground tremble from each stomp as she quickly made up a plan.

A cry echoed around the narrow street as a second horse appeared in front of Vastra, Jenny holding her sword high in one hand while the other ordered her steed into a gallop. Her rival rider pulled out a short battle axe, both ends promising a gruesome death. Vastra dived to the side as her friend raced towards their enemy.

As the horses clattered past each other, Jenny dodged the brutal axe and sliced her sword along the chest of her attacker. With a cry of pain, the rider tumbled from her horse to the hard ground below. Jenny pulled her horse to a stop while grinning in victory. Vastra ran to the trembling body of the bested combatant.

Pulling back her hood, a curtain of deep red hair fell to the ground and a pair of dark blue eyes glinted in anger and pain at the Silurian. She tried to get up but collapsed due to her injury. Her glare hardened into a more vicious look however.

"Well then, Clarissa." Vastra smiled smugly. "Tonight is your lucky night. Jenny is cooking a steak and kidney pie so it seems that prison shall have to do rather than what I had in mind." Clarissa simply continued to glower in fury. Vastra bent down to pick up the thief's axe. "What a beautiful antique. This would look lovely on the mantelpiece."

Clarissa heaved herself onto her knees, her arms clutching her injury. "Have you any idea how long it took me to steal that? You detectives are so selfish."

Jenny patted her horse on his head before approaching Vastra with a disapproving look. "Ma'am, no teasing the criminals now."

"I take it that you aren't including yourself, Jenny." Vastra grinned as she tied up Clarissa. "Why the frown? Would you rather I tie you up, dear?"

Her maid and partner tried not to smile but eventually gave in as she pulled her mistress to her feet. "Clarissa will definitely fetch a high reward. The Red Raven has been on the wanted list for months but we caught her in 3 days."

"Red Raven? That's the best name they can think of?" Clarissa growled. "I find being compared to a bird very insulting."

Vastra hoisted the thief onto Jenny's horse and strapped her on tightly. "Well you'll have plenty of time to think of a new name in prison. Come on, Jenny, I'm hungry for some pie."

Jenny pulled the horse along by its reins and smiled lazily. Finding Clarissa had involved many late nights and she was looking forward to going to bed. Vastra guided Clarissa's horse next to Jenny and together they walked the two animals and the thief through London in silence.

After taking Clarissa and the horses to the police station and receiving enough money to last the next six months, Vastra and Jenny headed back home with food and sleep on their mind. Just as Jenny was unlocking the door however, a figure appeared behind them, panting.

"Vastra, Jenny." Fred gasped as he stepped into the dim light of a lantern. "You need to come. My mother, she's hurt."

The two detectives glanced at each other before locking the door and following their friend back onto the street. Fred was still tired from his run from Rosita's house to Vastra and Jenny's but he managed to gather up enough energy for a jog. The Silurian and her maid ran beside him.

"So what's happened to Rosita then, Fred?" Jenny asked.

"I'm not sure." Fred replied. "I was just popping in to get a jar of sword polish that I store at her house when I found her collapsed on the living room floor. I couldn't wake her and then I found something strange. Alien. I decided to get you two in case a doctor has her taken to a laboratory."

Vastra increased her speed which pleased as well as disappointed Fred. "Don't worry I'm sure that we will be able to help her. At the very worst possibility, we can go to the Silurian colony to heal her."

They continued their hurry through London and by the next 20 minutes, they were standing on Rosita's doorstep. Fred pulled out a spare key, unlocked the door and entered the living room where Rosita lay on the floor, not moving.

Vastra knelt down and took her pulse. "She's still alive but appears to be in a coma. What under Earth is this though?" She pointed at the burn that lay on the centre of Rosita's forehead.

"Well that's what I thought." Fred replied. "I can't think of anything that could have caused it. I'd hoped that you could shed some more light on what happened here."

Jenny, who had been looking around the room in search of something out of the ordinary, picked up the book that lay closed on Rosita's chair. "20,000 leagues under the sea. This is a good book, she must have been reading it when..." The young maid paused as she noticed something in the pages. "Eww, what's this?"

Fred took the book out of her hands and carefully opened it. A green, gooey liquid covered the inside, some even dripping onto the carpet. "This definitely isn't human." A drop of the goo fell into the palm of his hand. Fred let out a shriek of pain and let the book fall to the floor. "Stay away from the book, it burns."

"There's no doubt, something alien attacked Rosita." Vastra said as she gently lifted the book up to get a closer look at the liquid. She then pulled out a glass vial and scooped some of the green goo into it. Putting a cork on the vial, Vastra gasped with surprise as she accidently touched the fluid and remained unhurt. "The liquid doesn't injure me. This chemical must be designed to only burn skin and not scales."

"You're right, look at my hand now." Fred agreed as he held out his palm. The skin that had touched the liquid had made a small burn. It was smaller but identical to the one on Rosita's forehead. Turning his hand around, a small bead of the fluid could be seen on the back. Fred quickly shook it away leaving another burn that matched the one on the palm.

Jenny filtered through Rosita's hair as she felt her skull for another burn. "I can't find a mark on the back of her head. But I can't be certain." She added nervously.

"Then the liquid mustn't have left. It's still in my mum's head." Fred shuddered at the thought.

"At least we know why she's unconscious though." Vastra reasoned. "It still doesn't explain the motive."

Falling into a chair, Fred sighed. "Maybe it does. My mother met the Doctor remember. They might have hoped she'd know where he is."

"If you're right then they're desperate. We have to track them down before they harm anyone else. Or they find what they want." Vastra theorised.

Her maid nodded. "What's the plan then?"

Vastra glanced at her two friends. "Well one of us should stay with Rosita. Whoever's done this might come back. The others should go to the sewers and use the technology in the Silurian shelter to track down any alien life signs."

"Good idea but how about we take my mum to my house where she'd be safe from any aliens and can be cared for by Jasmine." Fred suggested. "Then we can all go to the sewers together."

The Silurian shook her head. "We don't have enough time and I'm not even sure that the shelter will have the stuff we need. One of us should stay here in case the alien comes back but I think that we should move Rosita."

"You're the only one who knows where the shelter is, Vastra." Jenny added. "So if you go there, I stay here and Fred takes Rosita to his house then we'll cover every area."

"Divide and conquer." Vastra smiled proudly. "I suppose my brilliant planning skills must be wearing off on you, Jenny."

Jenny smiled back cheekily. "Don't make me remind you about your "brilliant" plan to catch Clarissa. We both know who saved who, right ma'am?"

"Glad to see that your wit is keeping up for a human. Let's go then. If you take a hansom Fred, then you can go to your house and back here in half an hour. I should take about the same time so we'll meet back here in 30 minutes." Vastra explained.

Everyone nodded in agreement so after checking that her sword was attached correctly, Vastra vanished into the night. Jenny helped Fred lift Rosita onto his back and then walked them to the door. "Do you have anything to defend yourself with?" She asked.

"I left my sword at home but I've got a knife just in case." Fred answered. "No fear, hansoms come by quite often near here, we'll be fine."

Leaving the house, Fred walked down the street to the main road where he could catch a hansom. He shifted Rosita so that she was more comfortable on his back when a knock shattered the silence of the deserted street. Fred quickly looked about in search of the noise but only saw an approaching hansom.

Holding out his hand, Fred watched the carriage pull to a stop. The door opened so Fred placed Rosita on the bench before turning to the driver on the roof. "Vinetree Avenue, please."

"But of course, sir." The figure replied as he threw back his hood to reveal the bald, neck-less head of a Sontaran.

Jumping back in surprise, Fred felt his foot land on something. "That's my foot." The Sontaran behind him growled.

Fred went for his knife but a sharp pain stopped him as the Sontaran jabbed a device into his chest that sent a blast of electricity through his body. He fell to the ground and the Sontaran lifted him into the carriage before he joined his comrade on the roof.

Then with a jerk of the reins, the horse pulled the carriage and its cargo away from the light of lanterns and into the ultimate shadow of night.

xxxxx

The cracked wood held for a final second before shattering from the force of an iron bar. Its wielder, a stocky man with dark hair gave a sigh of relief before taking a proper look at what he had cleared.

A door, both as tall and wide as a grown man was set into the wall and showed no sign of age. It was made from a dull brown metal apart from a silver circle at its centre. The man frowned at it in annoyance but quickly turned away and pulled out a small black box which he opened to reveal a screen. After pressing his palm to the other side, the screen burst into life revealing a seated figure covered by a large silver robe that hid all but his wrinkled mouth.

"What do you want, child?" He said bluntly.

Deciding to ignore such a rude greeting, the man turned the screen to face the metal door. "I need to know how to open this."

The man on the screen gave a loud cough before replying. "That is a Draconian triplet lock. It is opened by a complex harmony of sounds that unlock the multitude of Grantay shards that reside within the Yedreni alkaline." A sigh could be heard when the speaker realised that his listener couldn't understand a word he was saying. "Just use the sonic device that you were given."

With a dive into his trouser pocket, the dark haired man pulled out a small, white oval that had a raised diamond-shaped blue glass in the centre. Pushing a button on the back released a whirring sound and, a click later, the huge door had split in two revealing the dark staircase down.

"Oh great, a creepy underground vault." Muttered the intruder. "My last mission better be nicer than this one."

The hooded man slammed his fist to his chair in annoyance. "Silence your insolence, boy. You shall have your revenge, now get down there and recover the correct parts before I end your pathetic existence myself."

Deciding not to reply or bothering to say good bye, the infiltrator closed the screen and descended into the black below.

xxxxx

Vastra groaned as a rat leapt into the filthy water in front and splashed her clothes. Darting out her tongue, the Silurian missed the rodent and instead lapped up some of the water that had so annoyed her. Spluttering in disgust, she quickly ran through the sewage lifting her cloak so as to avoid it getting any dirtier.

Being a taste sensitive reptile, Vastra detested spending any time in the stinking sewers. The first time hadn't been as bad because she had been concentrating on hunting humans where as now she had to track the Silurian shelter from memory and it was taking longer than she had expected.

Turning a corner, Vastra grinned as she saw the ladder that she remembered climbing up and taking her first look of human civilisation. She had been furious at how they had replaced the green of grass for hard roads but she was happy now because the shelter was mere metres away.

Sliding one of the bricks out of place, she tapped in a code onto a small keypad that had been behind it. Turning around, Vastra watched as the elevator silently lifted itself out of the sewage water and sprung its door open. As she stepped into the small space, the lift sensed her entry and closed the door automatically before sinking back through the water and to the Silurian outpost.

Vastra exited the elevator and looked around the room. She took note of the teleport platform that would take her the rest of the way to the Silurian city and the crate that held a supply of weapons. Ignoring these, she approached the large screen that was attached to the wall with a control panel underneath. As she pressed some of the buttons, a number of icons appeared on the screen.

After choosing the correct symbols, a map of London suddenly burst in front of her. There were a number of red dots scattered around the city but all had the word "unknown source" below. Near the centre however was a larger red area with one word underneath: Torchwood One.

xxxxx

Jenny had first of all looked around the room in search of any more clues that the alien may have left. After finding none, she had gone to the kitchen to get some food which was what she had expected to have already done that night. Returning to the living room, the maid had paced back and forth. After checking the clock for the third time, she had bit her lip nervously as it showed that Vastra and Fred were 10 minutes late. Thankfully, 5 minutes later and her mistress burst into the room.

"You were meant to be here 15 minutes ago." Jenny growled. As she lowered the sword she had pointed at the approaching noise.

"Can you not stand me being away for under an hour?" Vastra teased, gently though because she saw how worried Jenny looked.

The dark haired woman smiled slightly as she felt her panic transform into relief. "You can be the one to wait next time then."

"Sorry." Vastra said guiltily before looking around the room. "Where's Fred?"

Jenny shrugged. "I don't know. He hasn't come back yet."

"He should be back by now. I'll call Jasmine." Vastra replied as she picked up the telephone. After a few minutes she put it down. "She said that he went to Rosita's to get the sword polish but he hasn't come back since. I told her to go to bed. We don't need anyone else worrying."

Jenny nodded. "Well what do we do then? We've got no idea where he could be."

"You're right. He might have just not got a hansom and walked home instead. I'll leave a note telling him where we'll be if he comes back here." She quickly wrote on a scrap of paper and then left it on the table in the middle of the room.

"So where are we going? Did you find out where the alien is?" Jenny asked.

Vastra shook her head. "There are too many small alien technologies scattered around London to track down our alien. I also forgot about Torchwood. They probably have several outposts around the city besides their main hub." The Silurian smiled grimly at Jenny. "And that's where we're going. To find out which alien traces are held by Torchwood and which are free, we have to go to the largest source. We have to break into Torchwood One under the Tower of London."

xxxxx

Fred opened his eyes groggily and tried to hold his aching chest. However, his arms wouldn't move. When he tried to get to his feet, he realised that they were also held down. He looked down at his body but the room was so dark that he couldn't see what was keeping him prisoner.

Then he remembered seeing the short, bald, stumpy men that had attacked him. He groaned in anger at himself for not being more careful of the hansom, of placing his mother in the carriage without a second thought. Even if Rosita was in the room with him, she wouldn't be able to answer whether she was alright or not.

A sudden light burst into the room forcing Fred to close his eyes in pain. He heard the sound of approaching feet and when he opened his eyes next, he looked into the gaze of the creature that had captured him. Fred glared at it.

"What have you done with my mother?" He yelled.

His capturer smiled toothily. "You mean the female you were carrying? She is well although you are mistaken for thinking her your... mother." The creature spat in disgust. "We have checked your DNAs and they are both significantly different. Revoltingly so."

"Why have you taken us here?" Fred demanded. "What are you anyway?"

"My name is Science Chief Tyret and I am a Sontaran." He replied as he switched on a computer in the corner and started typing. "We would have killed you already hadn't we noticed that you have similar dreams to the female you call "mother". That's what brought us to your city of London."

Fred was baffled. "But how could you look into our dreams?"

The screen changed to show a grey spaceship separated into three compartments that were connected by three walkways so that it formed a triangle. Tyret pointed to one compartment. "We are here, in the Research Faction. The large satellite above us, on the roof, picks up images from dreams. It is used to locate certain images that match what we are locating so we can capture only humans that have the relevant information we seek."

"So that's how you found my mother. But what is it that she knows that's so important?" Fred asked.

"All in good time." Tyret said as he tapped Fred on the head. "Now many humans saw what we want but most have either died or refused to accept what they saw which caused them to subconsciously alter their memories. The female was right at the centre of the event though, just as were you. Now, enough talk, it's time to extract your memories."

Fred felt sweat drip down from his forehead. "Extract? Can't you just interrogate me?"

"Humans can lie. This is the only way to get the precise knowledge." Tyret replied, pointing a small black gun with a green barrel at Fred. "Don't worry now, if you're lucky then you'll never wake up."

"What is that?" Fred asked quietly.

Tyret's grin widened. "A brain reprogrammer although I'll only be using it to read your mind. I doubt all the nanobots in the universe could reprogram humans into a worthy species." He placed the gun onto Fred's forehead. "Now close your eyes and let loose all you know about the Cybermen."


	2. Chapter 2

The Silurian detective: Perfect warrior

A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter 2. First of all thank you RememberingStars. You have been reading these fanfictions since the beginning and I haven't said how much it means to me to have such an amazing reviewer :D. I also want to thank my beta Sophie who I force to read every chapter. Now I actually went to London for the first time and although I got to see Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, I didn't see the Tower of London which was a shame because I wanted to write a lot of description for it in this chapter. Instead I've been researching as much about it as possible to be able to make it descriptive anyway. Enough of me blabbering, here's the 2nd chapter :D.

Vastra leapt from the carriage and quickly paid the driver before pulling on her hood to make sure it covered her face. Jenny came over to join her and after waiting until the hansom had departed a good distance away from them, they set off towards their destination.

They had asked the driver to take them a few streets away from where they actually intended to go so as to avoid suspicion if any part of their infiltration went wrong. Rounding the corner, the pair saw the building that they had to break into. It was a prison, a fortress and now a centre for defence against extraterrestrial threats but it was always known as the Tower of London.

The light from the moon lit up the white walls that surrounded the tower itself. It had been an impregnable castle once simply because of these ordinary defences. But in an age of machines, they were no more than memories of a previous time. There were three walls that protected the central tower with many buildings scattered in-between. Some of them housed the guards that patrolled the Tower. It was they that would be the real threat to Vastra and Jenny. They and their rifles.

Reaching the first, outer wall, Vastra whispered to Jenny. "Now remember, the entrance to Torchwood could be anywhere in the buildings or grounds but because the alien traces seem stronger underneath the actual central White Tower, it should be there in theory. Probably in the basement."

Jenny nodded in reply so after giving her friend a squeeze on the arm, Vastra dug her claws into the stone of the wall and started to climb. Choosing where to dig her claws into the stone took careful precision as a misjudged hold could result in a long fall to the ground below. Near the top, Vastra peered over the battlements cautiously before leaping over at the sight of no guards.

Unravelling the length of rope that was hidden underneath her robe, Vastra dropped it down to Jenny while holding on to one end. As Vastra braced herself to bare her friend's weight, the maid grasped the rope and started to climb. Although her hands had been roughened by years of cleaning, Jenny still wore leather gloves to lighten the pain that her bare hands would feel from the rope.

Jenny quickly reached the top allowing Vastra to pull the rope up. Looking towards the White Tower in the heart of the fortress, they both groaned as they saw the two more walls they would have to pass. Smiling grimly at her friend, Vastra checked that there wasn't a guard below before throwing the rope over the other side of the wall and gesturing for Jenny to climb down.

After several more minutes of traversing the barriers, the pair stood with all 3 walls behind and only the tower in front. Besides a narrow encounter with a rifle wielding patroller, they had suffered no difficulties. Jenny's decision to wear Rosita's dark clothes probably helped this even if they were slightly baggy.

Darting over to their destination was a safe choice as it was far too dark for any of the guards to spot them. However their distinct red patterned uniform ensured that the detectives would be able to spot any approaching guards. Vastra scaled the tower's wall and passed down the rope to Jenny. They had decided against using the front door because it would be no doubt under heavy guard.

Pulling Jenny next to her, the Silurian tucked the rope into her robes before approaching one of the towers on the roof that held a shuttered window. With a few twists of the old bolts, the wooden shutters came away revealing an entrance to the Tower of London.

Once inside they scurried across the pitch black room in search of a way down. Vastra used her tongue to sense a guard below and followed the taste until she felt a gap in the floor. Grasping the ladder, she descended to the room below after calling for Jenny to follow her. The next room was far larger and was full of antique furniture and paintings. The light from the moon shone through the glass windows but Vastra could see the unmistakeable glow of a lantern coming from underneath a door.

With Jenny now in the room, they huddled together to form a plan. The only door in the room obviously led to danger but after a few minutes of hopefully waiting for the light to disappear, they chose to be reckless.

Knocking on the door, the maid jumped to the side as it suddenly burst open and the glow of a lantern appeared, a rifle just behind. Vastra, who had been preparing herself for the guard's arrival, fired her tongue at the soldier's neck, sending him collapsing to the ground.

Just as she did though, his rifle fired a shot that narrowly missed her chest but smashed into the window. The breaking of glass broke into a crescendo that was heard by most guards outside and every inside. Jenny stepped over the unconscious guard's body and into a corridor with Vastra on her heels.

Shouts yelled out as the two women ran to the end of the corridor and down a flight of stairs. Just as they were about to descend to another floor, soldiers' boots stomped up the stairs, blocking their route. The detectives hurtled down the corridor instead and out onto a terrace overlooking a large stone room.

Vastra quickly climbed down but Jenny couldn't find anything to grip with her human hands. "Jump Jenny, I'll catch you." The Silurian called up.

Her friend shook her head then changed her mind and leapt after hearing cries down the corridor. Landing in a graceless heap, Jenny got off of Vastra and pulled her to her feet before they fled the room, rifle shots blasting from above.

Blindly running through dimly lit passages, they sighed happily as they saw the descending stairway that led to the cellar of the tower. Once they had reached the bottom, Vastra started to feel the cold walls. "There must be another door down here. It should lead us further down."

Jenny nodded and joined her in the search. Loud footsteps could be heard above and the women hoped that they would find Torchwood before the guards found them. A scraping sound echoed out as Jenny knocked into a metal cover.

"Quietly please, Jenny." Vastra hissed.

Her maid grinned apologetically. "Sorry, I bumped into this tub." She lifted up the lid and peered inside. "Hold on, it isn't a tub, it's a well."

Vastra rushed to her side. "You're right." The footsteps above drew closer. "And it leads down. Quick Jenny, climb into the well." She said as she pulled out the rope and dropped it into the darkness.

"I'm not going down there." Jenny whispered back. "Who has a secret base at the bottom of a well?"

"We haven't got time to argue. Go now before the guards come." Vastra replied urgently.

Grumbling, Jenny held onto the rope and climbed down for at least a minute before reaching the dry bottom. Vastra quickly pulled up the rope and clambered down the dusty stones after closing the metal cover.

Moments later, the guards ran down into the cellar with their rifles cocked. They didn't even consider checking the old well for any sign of intruders.

xxxxx

Fred let out a scream as Tyret pulled the trigger, firing the green liquid to Fred's forehead. After a few seconds, Fred closed his mouth and grinded his teeth together while the Sontaran grinned cruelly. He then frowned as he saw that the fluid had started to drip down the human's face.

"What? The nanobots should have started working by now." Tyret growled in annoyance before returning to the computer monitor. "But... They're dead. All of the nanobots have been deactivated."

As for Fred, the green liquid that contained the immobile machines had continued its path down his face towards his eye. The fluid dragged an angry red burn that caused him immense pain. Closing his eyes, he felt it pool over an eyelid.

The sound of the door opening came to Fred's ears, followed by a blast and a screech of pain. Then he felt something clearing the liquid off his face allowing him to open his eyes. The image of Rosita peering over him, her eyebrows knitted in worry appeared.

"Hello dear. Are you feeling alright?" She asked.

With a click, she removed the bands that held him to the table and he sat up groggily. "Mum? But what are you doing here?"

"I've got no idea. I just woke up, heard you scream so I hurried in here and then used this." Rosita held up a large black gun and pointed to the collapsed Tyret. A shot from a Sontaran gun had shattered the vent in the back of his neck. "I was in a room around the corner. They didn't even bother locking the door." She then touched the burn on his forehead making him flinch. "Anyway, you haven't answered my question, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, mum. Don't worry, it'll heal." Fred replied before getting off the table and standing up if a bit wobbly. "Now then, where do we go from here?"

Rosita opened the door and peered around cautiously. "There doesn't seem to be anymore of those aliens. What are they called again anyway? Being shot in the head makes you quite forgetful."

"They're called Sontarans and according to the map which Tyret showed me, we're in the Research Faction. I'm pretty sure one of the other two should have some kind of teleport to get us back to Earth." Fred ran out of the room with Rosita behind him.

"So I take it we've left London then?" Rosita asked.

Fred nodded with a grin. "Yep, straight into an alien spaceship too." He suddenly stopped running, a thoughtful look on his face. "But how could you have woken up? The nanobots..." Fred then slapped himself on the forehead.

His mother frowned in confusion at him. "What is it?"

"Tyret said something about the nanobots dying. They must have injected some into your brain so that they could learn about the Cybermen." Fred then grimaced. "But why do the Sontarans want to learn about the Cybermen? And how did the nanobots all die?"

Rosita gripped his arm and shook it slightly. "We can think about this later. Right now we're in the middle of an alien spaceship, surrounded by potato headed soldiers."

Fred nodded in agreement and followed her down the rest of the corridor to a door. Pushing a switch, it burst open, revealing a long passage with glass panels covering the sides. The two humans peered out through them.

In front of a backdrop of a star filled inky blackness was the glimmering blue-green orb that was Earth. The pearly clouds drifted lazily about, either covering or showing the vast surface. Rosita and Fred gazed at the spectacle in awe.

"You know what; I would let myself be kidnapped every day just so I could get to see this." Rosita said, only half-jokingly.

Fred smiled at his mum. "And I'd rescue you every day just to do the same. We gotta go though. Sontarans could be here any minute."

Forcing themselves to leave, they pushed open the switch on the other end of the passage and entered the next Faction. What it was named was obvious.

Hundreds of Sontarans were locked in rows of cubicles, every one unmoving, their eyes all shut. Held firmly in their arms were guns exactly like the one Rosita carried. The silence of such a crowded room was eerie.

"They're all sleeping." Fred gasped. "These guys have an entire army just waiting to be woken up at the push of a button."

Rosita frowned at the unconscious soldiers as if she expected them to suddenly jump awake. "Look at how they're holding their guns. They're like children holding a teddy bear. This is one species you wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of."

Continuing to the other side of the room, Fred opened another door and walked into another chamber, this one louder than the previous.

Large pieces of machinery hissed and groaned, causing the entire room to vibrate. In the centre of this was a single Sontaran. He lay in a bath of clear white liquid that connected to many other copies by networks of pipes. Inside the copies were other Sontarans, all far smaller and less developed but with armour as large as an adult surrounding them. A helmet that was all too familiar could be seen on a desk.

Fred ran over to it and stared at it in horror. "Well it's obvious now why they're here. This must be a factory for growing an army but they want to make some changes." He stared into the empty blackness of the eyeholes of the Cyberman helmet. "This time, they want to make a new version. A soldier with the tactical mind and weapons of a Sontaran but with the emotional ruthlessness and defence of a Cyberman."

xxxxx

Meanwhile, thousands of miles back on Earth, something stirred underground. The door to its prison was open and it was time to escape. The cry of a sonic device had reactivated a menace that hadn't threatened London for 30 years. It started to gather up the parts it needed to repair itself when it felt someone approach.

The room was dark but not for the creature's eyes. The figure of a male human descending into the depths of the vault could be seen. He held a device that let off a blue light and a whirring sound. He reeked of fear. The creature was determined to change that.

It froze as the dark haired human lifted his device into the air, causing electricity to return to the room and switching on the lights. He walked past the creature, not noticing the intelligence behind its cold, lifeless gaze. With his back turned away and his arms rummaging through a box, the creature continued its recreation of its artificial body.

As it wouldn't have enough time to rebuild itself completely, it instead focused on using its rusting arm to repair its legs. Weapons wouldn't be needed against one human. The damaged head was already deciding what to do with the human. Delete or upgrade. There were no other choices.

With a cry of satisfaction, the man pulled a computer disk out of the box and compared it with a similar copy that he had taken out of his pocket. After glancing at them both for a minute, he took a box from out of his jacket and opened it, placed his palm on one side and waited till the screen lit up.

The hooded man turned from where he'd been typing in some notes when he saw his agent's face appear. "Have you found it?" He demanded.

"I think so, is this it?" The dark haired man answered, holding up the disk he had found.

"Turn it around slightly." The man on the screen ordered before nodding. "Yes, that should match its appearance. Return to the surface so that I can teleport you back to the ship. Hurry though. I'm about to send the Sontarans your coordinates." His ancient face lit up in pleasure. "In their search for that disk, they'll destroy Earth's only defence, giving us a clear path to initiate our plan."

Quickly shutting the lid and stuffing both his box and the disk he had retrieved in his jacket, the creature watched as the man scurried back up the stairs, shutting the only door out. Calculating its next move while it completed the necessary repairs, it then stumbled over to examine the box that the man had rummaged through.

Finding few parts of interest, the creature then noticed that the human had left the copy of the disk behind. Sensing the device vibrate before flashing a dangerous red, the unbreathing observer felt the flow of digital information burst out. Inside however, it detected a far more deadly purpose.

Safely holding onto the disk, the creature then started to gather certain parts and place them together to create something entirely new in creation but old in design. Others were coming but this time, the Cyberman would be prepared.

xxxxx

Rosita and Fred stepped through the door that led to a second passage that connected to the third Faction of the space ship and the last that they hadn't explored. Stopping to pull Rosita away from the captivating view of the Earth, Fred continued the crossing to the entry door.

Opening the door, they walked down a corridor that had several other doors along its sides. "So which one should we take?" Rosita asked. "I mean, how are we supposed to know which one leads to a way back to Earth?"

"I've got no idea. We'll just have to check every one." Fred replied.

He then went to open the nearest door but Rosita stopped him. "Hold on, this place is crawling with Sontarans. How do you not know there isn't one behind this door?"

Fred went to reply but he heard another door opening and the sound of approaching feet. "Quick, in here." Fred whispered, darting through the door that they'd been debating about.

Listening to the close encounter they had just dodged departing, Fred and Rosita looked around the room they had entered. Large computers covered the walls with rows of Sontarans seated in front of the monitors. A single Sontaran was patrolling back and forth the room, examining the screens that the others were in charge off. He looked very much in control.

Crates of weapons and other technologies were lined nearby so Fred and Rosita quickly dived behind them before the Sontarans noticed their escaped prisoners. A light flashed in front of a screen and the Sontaran watching it quickly motioned for the leader to see what he'd found.

"General, I've received coordinates on Earth. The research team has located the vault of the Cybermen." He told the superior Sontaran.

The General looked over his technician's shoulder and nodded before walking over to a chair in the centre of the room. "Very well, awaken the troops and send them the coordinates. They can fly down there from the hangar."

"Yes General." He typed a few keys before turning back to face the other Sontaran. "But sir, there's only one ship in the hangar."

"I'm sure that their armour should protect them sufficiently for them to reach the planet's surface. They've faced worse than a little cold." He replied. The technician nodded and turned back to his computer without another word.

After a few more seconds of silence, Fred and Rosita prepared to sneak back out of the room. Before they could however, a group of Sontarans marched through the door. Rosita pointed at the one in front. "That's the one who attacked me." She told Fred.

He frowned as he tried to work out which one she was pointing at. "But how can you tell the difference? They all look like stumpy, bald men to me." He whispered back.

"You try forgetting the face of the alien that shot you." She retorted.

Before Fred could reply though, the Commander Stert had reached the General's side and after nodding respectfully, he spoke. "General, I've just been to check on the prisoners and found that they've both escaped."

The General grinded his teeth. "How could Tyret let them escape?"

"He's been murdered, sir. A blast from one of our own guns straight to the back of the neck. He never stood a chance." Stert answered.

"The cowardly pair." The General roared, slamming his fist down in anger. "I want you to find them, Commander. Bring them to me alive."

Stert nodded. "Of course, General. I've already done a thorough search of the Research Faction. Others are checking the Military Faction as we speak."

"Then you head there too." The General replied as he got to his feet. "In fact, I'll do a personal search of the Command Faction here myself." He pointed at the crates by the wall. "Since you're heading there, take these crates to the storage rooms. They're all in working order."

Motioning for his men to take the heavy boxes, Stert followed his General out of the room. The Sontarans that were left to take the load quickly spread out to take a crate each. None of them seemed to struggle with the lifting apart from two. Just managing to lift their crates into the air, they departed towards their destination, having no choice but to lower the box occasionally.

Luckily for Fred and Rosita, they didn't look inside the load they were carrying.

xxxxx

Vastra and Jenny waited silently in the darkness until the sound of footsteps above stopped. They then both gave a sigh of relief and started to look around the small space they were in. It wasn't long before Jenny felt a cool metal handle and a dry wooden door against the stone.

After attempting to pull or push it open in futile, Jenny felt the lock underneath the handle and sighed. Vastra then used her tongue to detect any people on the other side. Her answer was confusing. "I can taste people but they're not moving, I don't think they're even breathing."

Jenny gave a frown but pulled out her sword from beneath her cloak and started to saw through the old wood. Once it was weak enough, Vastra would tear the plank off and place it behind them. Every slice was agonising as the sound echoed around the narrow well. They were both certain that a guard would hear but within a few minutes of carefully made cuts, there was a gap big enough for them to pass through and a ready to collapse door.

Passing into the next room, Vastra created a mental map of the room with one dart of her tongue. It was easy for the Silurian as she could use this ability to navigate her way through the chamber but Jenny was completely blind in such a pitch black room.

"Vastra, where are you? I can't see a thing in here." The maid called out, hoping that her friend could hear her.

Turning around to the direction of the voice, Vastra took Jenny's hand in hers and guided her to one of the large stone rectangles that were against the wall. For some reason, Vastra found holding Jenny's hand to be slightly frightening.

The rectangle had several grooves marked along the edge. Vastra placed Jenny's hand on them. "Do you know what this is?"

After brushing over the words, Jenny shook her head. "I can't recognise any letters that I know." She then rubbed her hands over the top and pulled back with a start. "There's a statue on top." She felt it again. "Is that a crown?"

Before Vastra could reply, a door creaked open on the other side of the room causing Vastra and Jenny to hide behind the stone rectangle they were examining. The sudden burst of light was so strong that they both had to cover their eyes.

The sound of harsh shoes against the stone floor could be heard. The owner stopped and turned to look at one of the rectangles. Vastra and Jenny slowly peered around the room for the first time.

The walls and ceiling were made of a grey stone cut in a basic block formation while the floor was made up of rows of tiles of the same colour. On each side were many alcoves with stone sarcophagus' in each one, a statue of a figure lay on top, all with beautifully crafted stone clothes and with a crown on every head.

The passage stretched down to an open door, light beaming out onto a standing woman who was looking into one of the alcoves. Her hair was a golden blond that hung to the bottom of her neck where it curled gently out towards the end. She wore glasses that were kept on a silver chain and her clothes were simple but polite. A dark blue frock that fell quickly to the floor and seemed to say "beware, important working woman".

The two spies ducked back behind the stone sarcophagus as the woman turned down the corridor and gasped as she saw the broken door. She hurried towards it, not noticing a hiding Vastra and Jenny.

As she peered into the inky darkness within the well, Vastra slowly rose, sliding her sword out of its scabbard. The Silurian ran forward silently, the woman shuddered more in surprise than fear as the sword slid into place below her throat and Vastra's hand covered her mouth.

"Now listen very carefully because I won't be repeating myself." Vastra ordered, sounding completely in control. "I'm going to remove my hand and sword but if you try to call for help or escape then I'm going to be very annoyed."

The woman nodded before panting slightly as she was released. She turned to face Vastra, giving her an angry glare while still retaining the look of a child being caught doing something naughty. Her eyes betrayed a hidden fear however. "Fine, I'll do what you say as long as afterwards you don't tell anyone that I helped you. If you do then I might as well scream now."

Vastra nodded. "We shouldn't be coming back for a return visit."

"We? How many people did you bring with you?" The blond woman scowled.

Jenny stood up and walked over to Vastra's side. She awkwardly waved at the woman that Vastra had threatened as a way of introduction. "So what's your name?" She asked to break the uncomfortable silence that had grown.

"Well if you're so interested, it's Georgina." The blond replied while brushing off some dust from her frock. "Now do you want me to help you against my will or not?"

"Yes, we do." Vastra replied. "We want you to take us to a map of London so you can show us where all the Torchwood outposts are located."

Georgina frowned at them both in surprise. "If that's what you want to find out then fine. There's hardly that many anyway." She walked past them, shrugging when Vastra raised her sword. "Oh put that big metal stick down, I won't run away. I can't let you both be caught now."

It was Jenny's turn to frown. "You can't? But why?"

"Because this room is off-limits to all Torchwood personal." She answered, gesturing at the chamber they were in. "If you tell anyone I was in here then I'll be branded a traitor and executed."

They followed her out of the room where she closed the door and locked it. "Why is this room forbidden though? There's nothing interesting in there." Vastra said bluntly.

"Nothing interesting?" Georgina gaped. "You've just been inside the Tomb of Kings. It's a top secret burial chamber for every single man or woman who has ever taken the throne of England. I thought it was all a myth and didn't even know it existed until today."

"I thought they were all buried across the country though? Some even in Germany and France." Jenny asked. "Why did you want to go in there anyway?"

Georgina pulled out the key and pocketed it. "Must be all a big deception then. As for that last question: I'm nosy. I had to have a key forged and time the hour right too." She glared at the two intruders. "And then you three have to come and interrupt me. For a map of all things. Do you think I enjoy betraying Torchwood?"

Vastra and Jenny looked at each other. Even the Silurian felt slightly guilty. "No but we've got a... Did you say that there were three of us?"

"No, I said two." Georgina replied, confused at such a random change of subject. "Now just shut up and follow me."

They did just that. After passing though several stone corridors, Georgina reached another door. Pulling on the handle, it swung open revealing a large, open spaced room.

It was like a theatre. Staircases descended from every side into the huge pit in the centre where white robed scientists scurried about like ants as they studied the many different objects that were on display. Some of them were so small that they were hard to see while others were so big that it was hard not to. Georgina, rather than leading them down, led them around the rim of the deep centre.

"You want a boring map well it isn't going to be in the interesting testing area." Georgina said when she noticed Jenny's disappointed face. "Let's go into my office and see if we can find any fun paper work for you to do."

Vastra rolled her eyes at the woman's dramatics and wondered how she'd react if she saw under her hood. Following her into another room, they watched as Georgina stepped over the piles of books and labels on the floor to reach the large metal file container. While she rummaged through it, Vastra and Jenny looked around her office.

It was very small but very full. Besides the mess on the floor, there were heaps of papers on a desk. However the many shelves that stuck to the sides of the room were rather neat in their care of the alien artefacts that covered them. It was obvious what Georgina valued the most in the room.

With a triumphant but still sarcastic cheer, Georgina passed a map of London into Vastra's gloved claw. It was very similar to the one she had seen in the Silurian outpost. In fact, when she looked closely, she realised that it was completely identical.

"This can't be right." She sighed.

Georgina, who felt that she'd been very patient so far, had to compose herself before she spoke as she resisted the urge to yell. "What do you mean "can't be right". It's completely right. Look, 9 dots for every Torchwood facility in London, including the one we're in now."

Jenny was also about to question her friend but before she could, a large explosion shook the very room they were in.

As she opened the door, Georgina grumbled about more interruptions. "Oh this day gets better and better. How can this day get any worse?"

Peering into the huge room that they had just left, her question was answered by the hundreds of Sontaran soldiers that had blasted through the ceiling and were starting to kill every human insight. One carefully manoeuvred his jetpack until he was in front of the three of them.

Raising his gun, he let out a bellow. "Sontar-Ha!"

A/N: And it ends on a cliffhanger. Sorry but they are my favourite kind of ending. So the Sontarans are attacking Torchwood while the Cybermen are reactivating. If you're enjoying it so far then please drop a quick review off :)


	3. Chapter 3

The Silurian detective: Perfect warrior

Waiting until the sound of Sontaran feet were out of earshot, Fred and Rosita quickly clambered out of the crates that had saved them from discovery. They had been in the box for longer than expected as it had taken a while for the Sontarans to carry them across the ship. Now they were out of such a small and uncomfortable place, they stretched their arms and legs gratefully before walking over to a closed door.

Gently pushing the door open, they were met with the sight of an army of Sontarans that were all facing a gigantic metal hangar exit. They each held a gun in one hand and their helmet with the other. Every one had a type of backpack strapped to them, a lever to one side.

In a large windowed box that overlooked this scene were more Sontarans. Some watched screens that held many different forms of information. Others were communicating with the rest of the technicians in the Command Faction. They were all preparing to launch the soldiers that would descend upon the Earth in the hunt for the lost technology that would bring glory to Sontar.

As Fred started to weigh up the odds of them getting past an army of Sontarans, Rosita had noticed a hansom cab equipped with its own horse against the wall. Quickly pointing this out to her son, they both frowned at the utter bizarreness of a 19th century vehicle being surrounded by the greatest technology of Sontar, the likes of which Earth couldn't begin to imagine.

"I think that's the hansom that they used to abduct us." Fred whispered. "But why on Earth would they bring it with them?"

"Well we're not on Earth anymore are we?" Rosita replied wittingly. "That horse could be a useful distraction though."

Fred nodded, slightly annoyed at himself for not thinking of his mother's idea first, before darting behind the carriage, hoping that a Sontaran hadn't seen him.

Well, he tried to dart behind the carriage but instead, fell to the floor, clutching his head, not quite sure about what had happened.

Rosita had however, so after helping Fred to his feet, she pulled him behind the carriage without attaining any sort of injury. Fred was even more annoyed with himself.

"What the hell happened?" He grumbled.

His answer was a tap on the back of the carriage. Rosita's hand didn't reach it though but instead knocked on an unseen metal surface. "The hansom and horse is all just camouflage. The Sontarans must have used it to travel around London."

"Oh." Fred said briefly, running his hand across the invisible but real covering.

His mother was doing the same although she had already started on a side. She was kneeling down so as to avoid being spotted by the Sontarans in the box above. Her hand grasped a handle near the roof which she opened and stepped inside, grateful to ease the strain off of her knees.

Fred had reached the carriage door and found that he could actually open it, revealing a realistic interior of a hansom. With a click, the leather seat and carpet floor were replaced by a cold, empty metal room. Closing the door, Fred turned to see his mother disappear behind the horse. Approaching where she had vanished with caution in case of another attack from invisible walls, Fred felt a door that wasn't there. Walking around it, he saw Rosita sitting in a large chair, her legs lying on the console below a window.

"Is this really the time or place, mum?" Fred asked as he shut the door and sat in the chair next to Rosita.

She tutted. "When you get to my age, your aching knees will be your number one priority."

"Well I think you might have knocked a switch or something." He answered, wishing that her number one priority could wait until they got back to London.

"It was that one." Rosita replied, pointing at a lever with her foot. "What did it do?"

Before Fred could tell her though, a siren shrieked out and the army of Sontarans placed their helmets on their head. Moments later and the siren sounded again. Every Sontaran simultaneously pulled the lever on their jetpacks. As they lifted into the air, the siren blared for a final time and the huge metal door slowly started to open.

"Quick, now's our chance." Fred said urgently. "Find the button that turns this thing on so we can get out of here."

Out of the window, the door had opened fully and the flying soldiers launched through it, the blue-green planet straight ahead. Rosita turned to her son. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We don't even know what we're turning on."

Fred had started tapping random buttons as the last Sontaran disappeared into space. "Well I've got a good guess anyway." The door was slowly heaving itself shut. Rosita pushed on the bar in front of her. With a clunk, the reins jerked and the horse charged forward. Rosita and Fred screamed equally as loud as the spaceship disguised as Victorian transport galloped through the closing doors and into the vast darkness of space.

Spinning round and round for a few seconds, Fred pulled on the bar Rosita was holding onto, quickly stopping their movement and contents of their stomach. "Do you want me to steer?" Fred asked his mother who got out of her seat without a word before collapsing into Fred's which he had vacated.

Ahead of them, the Sontaran army looked like a swarm of angry wasps, their stings far more deadly. Pushing the bar forward, Fred directed the ship after the soldiers. Rosita clutched her stomach and groaned. "I hope you know how to land this thing." She said before hunting for an empty container.

"How hard can it be?" Fred replied optimistically, not knowing that he would get his answer soon enough.

xxxxx

Vastra stared into the Sontaran gun, quickly considering how to pry it away from its master. Before she could though, a shot aiming for her head was released. With few options remaining, the Silurian chose her most reliable and freed her sword from its sheath.

With a snap, the sword broke in half from the blast that the Sontaran's gun had fired. Vastra stared, dumbstruck at her disfigured weapon and would have been hit by the second shot had Jenny not pulled her back into Georgina's office and slammed the door shut.

It instead smashed into the said door and almost tore it off its hinges. Rather than shoot at the wooden barrier again, the Sontaran soldier pulled the lever on the jetpack and charged through it before turning towards Vastra with a terrified Georgina crouched behind her. Shooting her tongue towards the alien's face, Vastra shrieked in pain as it was reflected by the metal helmet. She hadn't expected it to have any effect but had no other ideas.

As the Sontaran lowered himself to the ground, its gun ready to fire, a vicious smile grew behind his helmet. He didn't notice Jenny creep up behind him and plunge her sword into the vent on the back of his neck. On his chest, a bulge in the metal armour appeared.

Jenny attempted to pull the sword out of the alien's body but Vastra simply pulled her away. Georgina looked slightly ill as she stepped over to them, her eyes locked with the corpse of an extra-terrestrial. "If I ever complain again, you'll know that I've recovered."

Ignoring her comment, the two detectives looked down to where the remaining humans were being massacred by the invaders. If one tried to escape up the stairs, they'd be quickly shot at and collapse to the floor, unmoving. Several more aggressive scientists were having more success by fighting back with anything they could get their hands on. Despite this, the overwhelming numbers were proving too much and they had little time left alive.

"This is horrible." Jenny gasped. "There must be some way to stop these things."

Vastra smiled grimly. "You saw how that gun broke my katana in half. We were lucky to not have been killed against one of them. We stand no chance against an entire army."

Georgina was gazing up at the night sky that could be seen through the huge hole that the Sontarans had blown through the ceiling. "That is going to cost a lot to repair."

"Do you think they destroyed the Tower as well?" Jenny asked.

"No, we're too far away." Georgina replied. "Torchwood is found inside Tower Hill which as you know, is a bit further away from the actual Tower."

Vastra hadn't been paying much attention to their conversation as she had picked up the Sontaran's gun and was trying to figure out how it worked. Looking about for an extra-terrestrial to test the weapon on, she saw a great light burning in the sky.

"What's that?" She said, pointing up at it.

Georgina frowned. "It looks a bit like a star but it's no star I've ever seen before."

Jenny shook her head. "No, it's getting bigger. It must be coming closer towards us."

They stared at the light for a few moments longer, bemused at what was growing in the sky. "It could be one of those foreign lanterns. They look like balloons with fire inside. They're sent up into the sky before dropping back down."

"I've seen one of those before. This is definitely not a lantern." Vastra remembered when Sam and Carol had released the lanterns that Jasmine had helped them make. The gentle orange flame had slowly disappeared into the inky darkness of night that had signalled the end to an enjoyable evening.

Jenny, who had the best eyesight out of the three of them, noticed something strange about the incoming light. "There's something behind the fire. I'm not sure what it is but it's burning strangely."

Vastra and Georgina froze. Up above a Sontaran soldier had spotted the trio of natives to Earth. The light was almost ready to impact. Vastra lifted her gun just as her opponent did so to his.

"It's a horse!" Jenny yelled suddenly, pointing frantically at the falling hansom cab that did indeed have a horse galloping furiously towards the surface.

Guns were lowered in shock as every Sontaran in the room gaped up at the bizarre animal and its load that were tumbling straight down at them. Launching herself at her friend, Vastra knocked Jenny to the floor just as the soldiers below started to flee the certain death that they would meet if crushed by a falling horse.

Swatting the hovering Sontaran that it had so rudely interrupted in mid-attack, the unexpected meteor smashed into the bottom of the room, crushing several Sontarans on impact and killing many more when their jetpacks exploded on contact with high speed debris.

Jenny opened her eyes as she clutched her ears. The blasts had been deafening and were causing her ear drums to sting from the overload of noise. Vastra lay on top of her, the Silurian's hood still covered her face but Jenny was close enough to see that her friend was in pain too.

Vastra opened her eyes to see Jenny looking up at her in concern. Time seemed to slow down as their eyes locked for a moment. The world around them was unimportant. Nothing mattered more than their shared gaze.

"You two okay?" Georgina said, almost as if she was saying it in her head.

Realising how close their faces were to each other's, Vastra got to her feet and turned to face Georgina. Jenny frowned at the place where Vastra had been before standing up as well.

"We're fine thanks, are you?" Jenny asked politely if sounding a bit annoyed.

Georgina nodded. "When your friend dived on top of you, she knocked me into my office where Mr Potato Head cushioned my fall and by cushioned I mean that he didn't. Not as comfy as you two seemed to be finding each other anyway." She added, raising an eyebrow at Vastra.

Ignoring Georgina's comments, Vastra surveyed the damage that lay below. Shelves that had held tools, the machines that the tools had been used on and of course, the bodies of humans and Sontarans littered the pit in the centre of the room. As for the missile that had caused all the damage, it lay embedded in the floor, trapped from the force that the fall had generated. The carriage that the horse had pulled was sticking out of the ground while the animal itself was buried underneath.

"It's smashed through the floor. There must be another room underneath." Vastra realised. "Georgina, what's down there?"

The woman shrugged. "I'm not sure, I was never allowed access. It's meant to be some kind of tunnel that leads to the Torchwood Vaults."

"Torchwood Vaults." Vastra repeated. "And this tunnel, would the entrance be nearby?"

"Yes, it's just a few doors away." Georgina replied. "Don't tell me you want to go there? It's really deep underground. In fact, why am I still here? Pretty much every Torchwood member has been killed. You know what? Good luck fighting these aliens, I'm going home."

She turned to leave but Jenny grabbed her arm. "Georgina, wait. You know more about Torchwood than either me or Vastra. We'll never be able to stop these creatures unless you help us. Don't you want to avenge all your colleagues?"

Georgina laughed bitterly. "Avenge them? It's a wonder I've managed to put up with them all these years. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get this job? And when I get it, I'm given all the simple work. They thought that because I'm a woman, I couldn't handle all the difficult stuff but look at me now. I'm not lying dead, crushed by a horse. Good bye."

"I can't believe that you can be so selfish." Vastra said bluntly.

Her hand on the doorknob clenched as Georgina turned around again, a vicious glare aimed at Vastra. "Didn't you hear what I just said? They never wanted me and they're dead anyway so how am I selfish?"

"Oh you're selfish alright. Those aliens want something and I'd bet my life on it that it's in the Vaults." Vastra answered, venom hanging on her tongue. "They've already killed about a hundred humans and you can guarantee that when they find what they're looking for, they're going to kill a whole lot more. If you walk away from this than you're not just losing the chance to prove yourself but are endangering every person on this entire planet. That is selfish."

Staring into the darkness beneath Vastra's hood, Georgina's face betrayed her. It showed anger but also fear and guilt. Hidden below those three emotions, sadness could be seen creeping out. "It's not fair. I've proven myself when everyone should have cared but now I have to do it, when it matters most and no one will ever get the chance to even know."

"It's not about doing it for others; it's about doing it for yourself. Now are you coming?" Vastra said, slightly more gently.

Georgina kept her back to Jenny and Vastra as she opened the door. "You can lower your hood if you want. There's no one here left to imprison you."

Jenny looked at Vastra in confusion, wondering how she could have figured it out. "But how can you know?"

"I might be an idiot but I'm not stupid." Georgina replied, smiling just an inch. "Now then ladies, let's get to the Vaults and prove it to society that we can do more than just clean."

As they exited the room, a groan was heard that forced them to return. Peering down into the mess in the pit, a Sontaran could be seen getting to his feet. He held his head in his hands before looking down into the space that a horse and carriage had been so kind to reveal. A few seconds later and another Sontaran staggered to his feet.

Vastra sighed in annoyance. "It seems that it'll take more than a falling vehicle to stop them. Come on, we'll have to run."

She left the room at a fast pace, Jenny and Georgina behind her. As for the awakening Sontarans, they were already starting to think of some particularly nasty words to say about their superiors behind their back. No matter how important a clone is in Sontar military, nothing is seen as more foolish than firing at your own soldiers.

The humans inside of the shuttle would regret ever leaving the Sontaran station. When they woke up that is.

xxxxx

The massive shaking that was roaring through the underground maze that made up the Torchwood Vaults could have been caused by only two things: A large earthquake or the arrival of an alien invasion. Since his master had warned him of the intention to alert the Sontarans, the latter option seemed most likely.

Cracks appeared along the wall and just as suddenly as they had arrived, a blast occurred up ahead. From the ceiling dangled the strangest of objects. A horse, its eyes wide yet still empty.

Peering up into the light that crept through the crevices that the animal was trapped in, the dark haired man who had taken the disk containing the information on the Cybermen saw the moon, large and eerie looking, just above the carriage that was imprisoning the horse.

Said creature gave an unrealistic whinny before curling its head down to its front legs. The sudden shift in weight caused the carriage to give out a scream before tumbling completely down into the tunnel below.

Once the dust had settled, the horse and carriage had vanished, instead replaced by a dull, iron grey spaceship that had no chance of ever taking off again. The door on one side collapsed to the floor revealing two people within.

Just as he was about to take a closer look at them, a pile of dust slowly glided down to the floor. Following its journey back up, the helmeted head of a Sontaran gazed down into the darkness of the tunnel. With a grunt, the soldier leapt down, his covered eyes scanning the lightless depths.

Unsure whether or not the alien could see him, the dark haired man froze and hoped that too little light would mask his discovery. The Sontaran's head turned to face his direction and stopped. He was certain that he had been spotted but then the creature collapsed to the floor.

The man who had been lying unconscious inside of the spaceship only moments before pulled his knife out of the neck of the Sontaran and helped the older, dark skinned woman down. He then wiped the knife on the arm of his coat while the man hidden in the darkness started to creep away.

Taking a glance back at the two people who had started to examine the tunnel they were in, the lucky escapee prepared to run straight to the exit but unluckily crashed into the worst person to crash into.

"Vastra, are you alright?" Jenny called out in worry after hearing her fall to the ground.

In the pitch blackness of the tunnel, Jenny and Georgina had been relying on Vastra to guide the way with her superior sense of taste. What the Silurian detected from the man who had knocked her to the floor made her doubt that sense however.

"Derek?" She exclaimed, not sure what answer she wanted to receive.

The reply was in fact only a gasp followed by a hasty jump to the feet and sprint to the exit. Jenny pulled her friend to her feet, a frown on her face despite the inability for anyone to see it.

"Vastra, why did you just say that name?" Jenny asked gently.

The Silurian shook her head, not certain what to say. "I... I thought that I sensed him but it was probably something else."

The young maid didn't look like she believed her friend but Georgina interrupted her before anything else could be said. "Come on already. Vastra's fine so what are we waiting for?"

Voices further down the tunnel caused them all to turn in their direction. They travelled deeper into the darkness, following the voices until a faint light could be seen. Approaching it, Vastra and Jenny ran forward when they realised who were speaking.

"Fred, Rosita!" Jenny cried out. Said two jumped in surprise before grinning at the appearance of their friends.

"But how on Earth did you get here?" Fred exclaimed, clasping the arms of his two friends.

Vastra was just as confused. "I was about to ask you both the same question." She noticed the abandoned spaceship and the room that could be seen through the cracks. "Hold on, were you two inside of that carriage?"

"Well technically, we were in the horse or on top of the carriage. The whole camouflage covering was rather confusing." Rosita tried to explain. When she got no reply, she attempted a second go. "That metal thing over there was made to look like a horse and carriage in order to blend in with the rest of London." She said, pointing to the spaceship behind her.

"It appears to be made from some sort of stealth metal." Georgina lectured, suddenly appearing from behind the spaceship. Rosita hoisted her gun at the woman. "Please put that away, I'm with your friends."

Fred and Rosita gave a distrustful look but Jenny nodded in Georgina's support. "It's true, Georgina here works for Torchwood. She's helping us defeat those invaders."

"Is that what you call us?" A voice called out from above. "Well it seems like we've forgotten to introduce ourselves." Jumping down from the room above, a helmetless soldier smiled menacingly. "I am Captain Stek of the Infiltration Squad of Intelligence for Sontar." He lifted a hand skywards and a row of Sontarans flew into the tunnel with their jetpacks. "These are my unit of Sontaran troops."

Giving the potato headed Captain a nervous grin, Fred pointed to himself. "Well my name's Frederick Lake and this is my mum Rosita. These are our friends Vastra and..."

"KILL THEM!" Stek bellowed.

Charging back into the darkness, the five Earth natives ran for their lives. The sparks from the jetpacks burned behind them but it was the black up ahead that they sought shelter in. Reaching a narrow staircase, Georgina groaned about more steps before descending. Fred and Jenny quickly followed but Rosita stayed, sparing only enough time to dive down a few steps for cover.

"Come on, mum." Fred yelled. "Those Sontarans have shown themselves to be hostile. Not to mention rather impolite. Let's get out of here."

She shook her head. "I'll only slow you all down. You go ahead while I hold them back with this." She lifted her gun.

Vastra, who had been attempting to shoot the Sontarans herself, reached the staircase. "Go, me and Rosita will be able to get you enough time to find what they're looking for."

"But Vastra..." Jenny started.

"Now Jenny and that's an order as your employer." Vastra shouted.

She almost came back with a retort but just managed to hold it back. "Yes Ma'am."

Fred took her arm and they both ran down the stairs. The attacking force had spotted the humans flee down the stairs and prepared to open fire. Vastra and Rosita were too quick however as they released their own barrage of shots at the aliens. A couple of soldiers took the blast of their own weapons and collapsed to the ground. The strong remaining started to shoot more furiously than before. The two women huddled together, shooting whenever they could.

"I hope that there's another exit out of here." Rosita grimaced as a shot almost hit her. Vastra nodded in agreement before firing back at the Sontarans.

Even further underground, Georgina stood in front of a huge metal door. It was both incredibly wide as well as tall and was brown all over apart from a sliver circle in the centre. She was examining the broken wooden boards that covered the floor when Fred and Jenny arrived.

"Where are your mother and Vastra?" She asked in her monotone voice.

Jenny who had been trying very hard to remain calm grew angry at how uncaring Georgina appeared to be. "They have both decided to stay behind so that we can find what the Sontarans are looking for." She said furiously. "So then Georgina, have you found it yet?"

"Oh, how brave of them." The woman replied as she got to her feet and attempted to slot one of the broken boards together. "No, I have not found it yet. Do I look like I have a potato head?"

Fred kept his grip on Jenny's arm firm, speaking before his friend yelled something she would regret. "So Georgina, do you have any idea how to open this door?"

She glanced over at him. "What? Oh no I've just been checking why this wood is lying scattered across the floor. It appears that someone broke into this vault very recently as the boards must have been used to keep this door hidden."

Jenny stopped trying to break free of Fred's grip and frowned at Georgina in surprise. "Recently? So someone else has been in the vault just before we arrived?"

"Excellent definition of the word 'recently'." Jenny restarted her attempts to escape Fred's hand. "Yes, I believe it was most likely the man who ran into Vastra back in the tunnel. What did she call him? Jeryck?" Georgina then snaked her fingers into the crack of the door. "He was in a hurry anyway so if I'm correct, as I most often am, then he wouldn't have shut the door properly."

The door opened silently revealing a dimly lit cellar. Georgina smiled smugly as she gestured for Jenny and Fred to go first. Ignoring her desire to punch the smirking woman, Jenny descended quickly for Vastra and Rosita's sake. The room was packed full of boxes that held multitudes of silver parts. Shelves were jammed with other random objects, the majority being made of a silver metal. It was a room that gave the feeling that no one wanted to be in it for too long. A feeling that wasn't caused by claustrophobia.

Georgina suddenly let out a terrified scream. Fred quickly ran up to her. "What is it? What happened?" He exclaimed in a voice laced with fear.

The young woman's hand shook as she pointed to her feet. "I just felt something and when I looked... Oh it was too horrible."

Fred looked slightly less scared. "Something touched your foot?"

"Yes, oh I think it could've been a mouse." Georgina panted as she attempted to hold back the tears.

Jenny laughed. "You're scared of a mouse after everything you've seen today, it only took a mouse to make you scream?" A figure standing behind the maid took a step forward. "It could've been Sontarans or falling horses but you screamed at a tiny..." The hand jerked forward and covered her mouth. The other clutched her throat.

Fred had his back to the cellar and continued to hold Georgina who was sobbing into his jacket. "Thank you Jenny. Now I don't think it was a mouse. I saw something move but it looked shiny."

Georgina nodded. "You're right. I mean no mouse can feel so cold." She glanced up and screamed as she saw the metallic monster that was choking Jenny."

Expecting to see another mouse, Fred also screamed at the sight of Jenny being attacked. He grabbed the Cyberman's hand and tried to heave it away from his friend but the hulking creature was too strong. Jenny's face started to turn blue.

Rosita appeared at the top of the staircase next to Georgina but froze at the sight of the Cyberman. Vastra peered down behind the two and shrieked at the occurring situation. Raising her gun, she let loose shot after shot as she leapt down the stairs towards her friend. She didn't miss once.

The Cyberman's body released blue sparks as it unclenched its grip from Jenny and collapsed to the ground. Vastra caught Jenny just before she fell too. They both sank to the floor, the woman coughed a few times while Vastra rubbed her back.

"What happened?" The maid gasped.

Tracing her fingers along the bruising marks on her partner's neck, Vastra smiled gently. "Don't worry Jenny, you're safe now."

She tried to sit up but was immediately pushed back down onto Vastra's lap. "But you were fighting the Sontarans?"

"This rat scurried past us and the Sontarans suddenly stopped firing. They picked it up and flew off. It must have been carrying something." Vastra explained.

Jenny frowned slightly. "A rat? But how could that have what they're looking for?"

Fred nodded in agreement. "Whatever it was, the Sontarans have it now."

"Well we won't be able to catch them." Vastra answered seeming strangely pleased at that. "Let's all just go home. It's been a long night."

Everyone liked that thought so Fred and Vastra held Jenny between them and helped her walk out of the cellar. No one looked back at the broken body of the Cyberman.

xxxxx

Captain Stek smiled as a soldier handed him the item that they needed to complete their research. It was small and silver with a row of teeth on the front end and flashing blue lights on the back. Turning it onto its back, Stek pulled off the bottom covering revealing an interior of complex wires. To one side however was a large disk that the Captain plucked from its casing.

He laughed slightly as the robot attempted to escape. "Cybermats. We've been able to create these for months now but with this disk, the true might of the Cybermen's technology will be ours." He held the disk aloft, the red light on it kept flashing.

Dropping the Cybermat to the floor, Stek crushed it with his boot before the machine could escape. "Let's return to the ship." A Sontaran handed him his helmet and a spare jetpack. As one, the unit of soldiers launched themselves into the indigo sky, their mission accomplished.

From an office, a set of stairs above, Derek peered out to make sure that they had all left. Seeing that the room was empty, he took a few steps into the eerily empty testing room and lifted up the screen to his face, the ancient observer within it gazing back.

"There, you heard them. They fell for the trap. Torchwood is destroyed and soon so will they." Derek sighed. "Now can you return me to the ship?"

Pulling on his cloak, the old man gave a slight cough. "Boy, must you ruin all the surprises? Very well, your mission was a success. I'm activating the teleport and then you may watch what your handiwork has achieved."

There was a flash of bright light and the testing chamber was replaced by a dark room, lit only by the dim glow of computer screens. Derek closed the box and looked up to see the wrinkled old man seated facing one of the large monitors, tapping away at the keys furiously.

"So did it work?" Derek asked.

The screen revealed the Sontaran ship, its 3 sections floated gently against the black of space. "If you have managed to do everything right than it shouldn't be long before the plan falls into place."

On the screen, Captain Stek and his soldiers flew into the hangar of the ship.

xxxxx

The General watched as Stek handed the disk over to the newly promoted Science Chief who hurried back to the Research Faction. Glad that his soldiers had achieved their mission and that the technology of the Cybermen would allow the Sontarans to create the perfect warrior, the General returned to the Command Faction pleased.

In the Research Faction, the Science Chief had placed the recovered disk into an Info Stamp that had been found in a house that the Cybermen had inhabited during their invasion. With a click, it slotted into the bottom of the tube and the Chief smiled as he pushed the button.

Nothing happened.

Frowning in annoyance, the Sontaran pushed it several more times before growling in anger. Calling one of his assistants, he handed him the Info Stamp and headed towards the Command Faction where spare Info Stamps could be found. He hoped that the disk would work in another of the devices. The General hated to be disappointed.

The assistant was examining the Info Stamp. He quickly discovered what his superior had not. The disk had not been pushed in properly so slotting it into the rod, he tapped the button. The expected images that should have flashed from one end did not. Instead a loud beeping emitted from the container.

It then exploded, incinerating the entirety of the Research Faction. Not a Sontaran survived.

In the Command Faction, the Science Chief fell to the ground from the shockwave produced from the explosion. He got to his feet unsteadily and peered out of a window. A third of the ship was a burning wreck, its metal frame was all that remained from the blast and even that was starting to snap from the heat. Pieces of debris drifted towards the only walkway left, the one that connected the Command Faction to the Military Faction. It was already weakened from the explosion but as a piece of metal smashed through the glass, the bridge started to shatter. Within seconds it was ripped apart, the two remaining Factions were drifting apart.

Unfortunately for the Military Faction, the tearing of the bridge had opened up a hole in its wall. The suction that space gave was paying its toll on the Faction's anti-gravity less room as multiple objects were fired out into emptiness. The hangar door reopened and the Sontaran army, led by Captain Stek launched themselves back towards Earth, their last place for survival lay on its surface below.

The Science Chief fell to the floor once again as the unbalance caused by the disruption in the Sontaran ship shook the Command Faction. He watched as cracks snaked through the glass window. A Sontaran didn't care about dying as long as he met his end on the field of battle. As a technician, the Science Chief had spent more time working in laboratories than fighting in bloody wars. The cracks seemed to show the paths that a clone could take. Although once one had been chosen, there would be no other choices to be decided. It wasn't like they even had a choice in what they wanted to do. A Sontaran was specifically designed for his particular purpose.

He accepted what happened and that's what the newly promoted Science Chief did as the glass shattered and he was released into space for a fate that had been decided before he had ever been created.

Alarms were blaring across the few rooms that hadn't yet been destroyed. The General roared at his technicians to discover the problem that was tearing the ship apart. Commander Stert charged into the Command room, panic covering his normally serious face.

"General, the Military and Research Factions have both been destroyed." He yelled. "Sir, we have to abandon the ship immediately."

A technician turned to face his superior. "He's correct, sir. The soldiers in the hangar have already left for Earth. There are some spare jetpacks in a storage room which we can use to follow them."

The General froze for a moment, his face screwed up in thought. He then nodded. "Very well, you all hurry and get to the surface. Not you Commander, I need you to assist me with something."

Picking up his helmet, with its insignia of Sontar engraved in the centre of the forehead, he led Stert through a door and down a flight of stairs. A control monitor was seated beneath a window where a large metal box could be seen in a wide chamber. Guns were positioned at every possible point, lasers beaming down on the box.

With a few tap of keys, the General deactivated all the lasers. Almost immediately, the box started to shake. "Stert, I want you to hold this switch so that I can enter the Prison Cube."

"But sir... Do you actually intend to release the creature? You know what it can do." The Commander's face showed true fear.

"I know what I'm doing, Stert." The General replied sternly. "The technicians no doubt knew that they wouldn't get to the storage room in time. This creature however, has power over time itself. I will return to the past and ensure that we succeed." He glowered at his Commander. "Now open the door."

Stert looked at the Sontaran he had been serving under for years and then started to think. The General had let his lower status Sontarans die when they could have gone to the past with him, giving him a greater chance of survival. But the General was rather old for a Sontaran. At 15, he was the oldest in the ship's crew. A clone rarely lived so long due to such high chances of dying in war so they weren't designed to live very long either. A waste of resources or some other reason but few were told how long a Sontaran could live for exactly.

At 9, Stert knew that he stood the best chance of living long enough to avenge those who had murdered his people. The General had failed; it was time for someone else to take his place.

Lifting up his gun, Stert fired a shot into his superior's vent, killing him instantly. He took up the helmet that was worn by General Sontarans and placed it on his head. It fit perfectly; after all, every Sontaran had the same sized head. The dead General's body was placed onto the control monitor, his chest lying over the button that must be held down to open the door. It did as it was expected.

Walking over to the cube, he placed his hand over the keypad and the walls of the cube slowly fell down. A statue of an angel, its hands covering its face was revealed. Stert knew what the creature would do and he welcomed it. The past would allow them a second chance to achieve their mission.

Holding onto his gun tightly, he blinked.

xxxxx

Vastra handed Rosita the keys to the house and she let them in. They tottered into the living room where Jenny was placed onto the sofa. She had drifted in and out of consciousness on the way back to their home. Fred had even had to carry her for a short time. Now that she was out of the cold, she allowed herself to fall asleep; her tired body was exhausted from both the Cyberman's attack and the late nights out hunting for Clarissa.

Knowing that they were safe from any more aliens, Vastra, Fred and Rosita sank into a chair each, all tempted to join Jenny in the comfort of sleep. Georgina entered the living room, a letter in her hand. "This was on the mat. It's addressed to you, Vastra." She said as she handed it over to the Silurian.

She was tempted to leave it until she was more awake but knew that she wouldn't sleep until she had read it. Tearing it open, her eyes scanned the paper quickly. Sighing as she finished it, Fred looked towards her sleepily. "What did it say?"

"It's from the police. Clarissa, the Red Raven has escaped." She said into her hands. "Apparently she was helped by another red haired accomplice."

Rosita laughed softly. "How ironic. It takes you and Jenny barely anytime to capture her but it takes her even less time to escape. Never mind, I'm sure you will be able to track her down again."

Footsteps were heard speeding down the stairs before Sam burst into the room. He looked extremely worried. "Where have you all been? I thought you'd all been killed." He saw Jenny and quickly ran over to her. "What happened?"

Vastra went over to him and knelt down next to him. "Don't you worry, Jenny will be fine. Come on, I'll take you back to bed."

"Would you mind if me and mum stayed the night?" Fred yawned as he peered out of the window and saw the light from the sun start to appear in the sky. "Well, early morning anyway."

Vastra nodded. "Sure, there's Jenny's room and a spare just upstairs." She turned towards Georgina. "Would you like to stay too?"

She rubbed her eyes. "No, I need to get back home. No doubt the government will take possession of my belongings if they think I was killed at Torchwood during the attack." She turned to leave but looked back. "I'm sure that I'll see you again soon."

Jenny looked too tired to wake up again so Vastra, Fred, Rosita and Fred left her to sleep as they went upstairs. Saying goodnight to her friends, Vastra led Sam back into his room. He climbed into bed while Vastra looked out of the window. Up above, a huge red spot could be seen against the slowly lightening sky.

Sam sat up to get a better look. "What are those falling things?" He said pointing into the distance.

"Do you mean that red light in the sky?" Vastra asked.

He shook his head. "No, those things that are falling. They look like people."

Vastra stared carefully out to where he was pointing but still couldn't see anything. "I'm sorry Sam, but I'm too tired to play any games right now. Sleep well." She left the room.

Sam continued to watch what Vastra couldn't see. The figures didn't seem to have any shape. They looked rather short and appeared to have wings made of fire strapped to their back. One by one, they floated to the ground. Sam continued to look out of the window until he drifted into sleep.

Across the city, children tugged at their parents and pointed at the falling figures. They received only shakes of the head as they couldn't see what their children could.

The red spot in the sky was of course the explosion from the Sontaran ship. The last scraps of metal that remained in space slowly started to be drawn in by the large mass of planet Earth. Among the debris was the body of the Angel. It was no longer made of stone as there was no one left to see it. On the planet below, millions of lives existed for the creature to feast on. Swinging its powerful wings down, it charged through the cold emptiness of space towards the life force that it would find on the surface.

The gravity of Earth pulled it down past the falling figures of the Sontarans where it became stone. London was a big city, a city that was about to be inhabited by two of the worst aliens that it could face.

If Vastra was worried about Clarissa, she would soon see just how worse the situation could be.

A/N: Whoa this took too long to do but it's finally done. Sorry that the romance is going so slowly. I was hoping to end it with a kiss but well Jenny got strangled so it'll happen in the next story instead. So the last in the trilogy is going to be the most packed of all and will hopefully be the best of the 3. I will start it sometime in February most likely as I've got exams when I go back. I hope that you enjoyed it so far, please leave a review :D


End file.
